1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to sterile containers for use in a surgical operating room environment. The invention particularly relates to a sterile container for x-ray cassettes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art discloses various sterile holders for x-ray cassettes. In the surgical or operating room environment, x-ray film contained within a cassette must be placed in contact with or in near proximity to the patient. It is necessary to assure that an open wound does not become contaminated by bacteria on the surface of the x-ray cassette. Since the cassette cannot be sterilized directly, using steam or known chemical sterilants other means must be provided to assure that the cassette does not inadvertently contaminate the patient. Operating room environments have strict requirements of sterility and great precaution must be taken to avoid contamination by any external objects which are brought into the surgical environment.
Various sterile holders are described in the prior art for preventing such x-ray cassettes from contaminating a patient. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,245, a sterile container for enclosing non-sterile material such as x-ray cassettes is disclosed. The container disclosed in this reference has the complexity of an outer and inner container. The outer container has a closed end and a cuff adjacent an open end. To enclose non-sterile material in the sterile container a sterile nurse holds the first or outer container while another person moves the non-sterile material into the second or inner container. Related patents belonging to the same family as he foregoing reference are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,988,873 and 3,843,041.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,699, a sterilized holder for x-ray cassettes is composed of a container having an open flared top. The container includes a cap which has an open bottom with an outwardly extending flare to facilitate entry of the cassette into the container. The cap has a flared end so that it can be placed over the container. The cap also has an indentation around and near its top so it can be snapped over the flared open end of the container. A seal is located around the container to mate with the inner side of the flared portion of the cap. The cap is attached to the container by hinge straps. While the container disclosed in this reference appears to be able to assure operating room sterility once the cassette is placed therein, it has the disadvantage of being composed of a number of components and thereby is costly to manufacture.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,507, a sterilized plastic bag is disclosed which can be readily sterilized after the bag has been packaged and sealed. The flexible bag disclosed in this reference has the advantage that it is of a simple construction and, therefore, readily manufactured. However, the bag is intended to be sterilized after the article has been placed therein. Thus, the flexible bag disclosed in this reference is not suitable for use in a sterile operating room for the intended purpose of preventing contamination by an x-ray cassette, since it would be too cumbersome a procedure to sterilize the bag after the cassette has been placed in the bag.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a flexible bag which can be readily manufactured and pre-sterilized and which can be easily used to store x-ray cassettes prior to their use in an operating room environment. It is also desirable to provide efficient and secure sealing of the bag once the x-ray cassette has been placed therein.